Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Women Involved Series: Christina Probert-Turner

I am a Registered Nurse by profession, an avid cyclist
by addiction and most recently, a contributor to social media for
Turner Suspension Bikes.

My husband, David Turner, is the owner and
designer of this company. We met over ten years ago on a bike ride in Lake
Tahoe and have been riding together ever since.

Our shared passion for
riding has had a significant impact on our lifestyle in that our free time is
spent either training locally or traveling for races and riding adventures.

The beautiful places, varied terrain, and increasing
competition, provide much of the inspiration for our products! The
location of our first date also became one of our favorites riding spots,
Downieville (Norcal). The 5000 vertical feet descent incited my husband to
design the highly revered 5 Spot.

After racing cyclecross for the last
five years, we developed a cx bike. Our years of racing mountain bikes helped
us design our first carbon bike, appropriately named the Czar.

We keep apprised of the trends in the industry and were one
of the first to offer the now popular 650 wheel. Upon the fat tire explosion
we released our latest development at Outer Bike, King Khan. This bike
features more suspension than any bike out there- check it out!

Keep up with Turner Suspension Bikes and Christina on the following sites:

It sounds like you
met your husband through bicycles, would you like to share a little on how you
met?

In 2002 we met on a group ride in Lake Tahoe. I asked him
if he had ever been to Downieville, and he replied that he had
not.

So for our first date, I took him to Downieville, and we
have been riding bikes together ever since.

Your husband is the
owner and designer of Turner Suspension Bicycles, what styles of bicycles do
you have and what will be coming in the future?
Turner Bikes are full suspension mountain bikes, everything including the
CZAR carbon fiber 29" wheel race bike, BURNER, All Mountain 27.5 FS bike,
FLUX 27.5 Trail bike, SULTAN 29" trail bike, a DHR downhill race
bike.

We also have a new Fat Bike coming this winter called
KING KHAN. Because of our addiction to cyclocross Turner Bikes will
be releasing the Cyclosys in the spring which will be the first
non suspended non mountain bike Turner Bikes as done. There is also
some secret stuff in the works, hehe!

Even if you don’t
officially work for your husband, do you find that you help out with it? What
would be your favorite aspects of being involved (directly or indirectly) with
the business?
I am the Director of Social Media, that's the "O-fish-al" way of saying, I Facebook, Instagram and
tweet. My favorite part of being involved in the business is being on the
pulse of new product releases.

What has been the
most interesting thing you’ve learned either bicycle-wise or business wise?I am not sure if it is bike wise or business wise, but there are
special considerations to fitting a female to a bike. Consequently getting
hand-me-down bikes don't always work the best.

Some of the specifics that I utilize include: A
good comfy seat, (I have the same seat on
all my bikes), correct length cranks and bar width and stem length, brake
reach, (since our hands are smaller), good
shorts with comfy chamois and "Petal Power" chamois
cream. The sizing does not have to be women specific, just the
correct fit for a women's size.

What do you feel
deters women from getting involved with cycling? Especially mountain
biking?
I guess mountain biking can be scary, hard, and a littler dirty. There
are a lot more ladies riding since I started riding, and the ability
of the female riders has risen considerably. The young girls are
going fast and big. I have heard ladies talking about how their boyfriend or
husband got them into mountain biking, and they are using their
old bike. Starting out on a bike that is too big for you and a trail that is
too challenging can be a deterrent for anyone. A well
fitting bike and small steps will ensure a better mountain bike
experience.

What do you feel
could happen to make changes and/or encourage more women to ride?
There is a huge push of women's organizations in SoCal right now: Girlz Gone Riding, Trail Angels, Mtbchick lounge and Girls Ride 2. Women
teaching women helps, because women learn differently than men.

Often times, men will use bravado and say "just do it", while a women only
clinics will actually instill confidence and explain how to do
it.

What inspires you to
encourage women to ride?
I want women to experience all the wonderful adventures riding can bring,
whether it is riding in a beautiful place, making a new
friend, feeling the camaraderie of a team mate or riding partner, connecting
with nature, conquering a challenging trail, or just getting a little
dirty.

Photo Credit: Phil Beckman- PB Creative

Any words of wisdom
for new mountain bikers out there?
Getting dirty is fun!
Get a good fitting bike, ride with-in your limits, and enjoy the
mountains!

Tell us a random fact
about yourself!I like to macramé, make jewelry and knit. ha..